Jets make huge splash on draft day, land Sanchez

by Mike Trovato

Rex Ryan may be the new head coach of the New York Jets, but Eric Mangini has not finished leaving his mark on the franchise. Numerous rumors swirled around New York all week leading up to draft weekend, regarding both the Jets and Giants. There was some speculation that the Jets would make a bid for Brady Quinn, the Browns' second first round pick in the 2008 draft. Other reports suggested that the Jets were targeting the likes of Jason Campbell, a wide receiver, or to trade up in the draft to snag either a QB or wideout, both glaring needs for Ryan's squad. When the smoke cleared on Saturday afternoon, the New York Jets had its new franchise player.

For the second straight season, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum pulled the trigger on a trade to land a big-name QB in New York. Last summer it was 39 year-old Brett Favre, whom the Jets acquired from the Packers for what wound up being Gang Green's third round pick. On Saturday the Jets dealt three players and two draft picks for the Cleveland Browns' number 5 overall pick, which they used to select USC's Mark Sanchez.

The pick came at a much higher price than the Jets paid for Favre, a future Hall of Famer. Gang Green sent their first and second round picks (17th, 52nd overall) to Cleveland, along with defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam, and quarterback Brett Ratliff . Coleman, Elam and Ratliff join C.J. Mosley, Hank Poteat, Eric Barton and David Bowens as the latest ex-Jets to reunite with Eric Mangini in Cleveland.

When the Seattle Seahawks passed on Sanchez to take Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, Radio City Music Hall began buzzing as Jets fans watched the Browns helmet turn into Gang Green on the clock. Minutes later, the fans erupted as Commissioner Goodell announced Mark Sanchez to be the newest member of the New York Jets.

Obviously, you cannot please everybody, but I found it particularly interesting to see shots of elated Jet fans juxtaposed with other Jet fans who looked less than thrilled. I have to admit, I myself wasn't quite sure how to react. At first, I yelled "they're gonna get Sanchez!!" Then I realized that they must have given up quite a bit to move that far up in the draft, and got worried. When I saw they gave up their first and second round picks, I thought that was all they gave up, and thought they pulled off a steal... Then they listed the three other human pieces to the puzzle.

I had no problem with the picks the Jets gave up to move to number 5. What worried me the most is that they traded three players for the potential of Sanchez, who according to some experts has the highest upside at QB for this draft class. To a lesser degree, I was slightly concerned about Sanchez' limited starts at USC. Yet when all is said and done- which it is- I have come to terms with the trade, and feel that this is without a doubt the right move for the Jets.

Unfortunately for Brett Ratliff, he was slated to compete with Kellen Clemens for the Jets starting quarterback position. Now he will probably compete for a roster spot behind up Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, should Cleveland choose to keep both of them. I was intrigued by Ratliff, who had a solid preseason in 2008, but people will be surprised if Ratliff pans out; this is hardly the case with Sanchez. The 2009 Rose Bowl MVP, Sanchez has the highest upside of all the quarterbacks in this year's draft class. Yes, there is that slim chance that Ratliff will turn out to be that hidden gem in the mold of Tom Brady. Realistically, he's just another guy with potential- less potential than Mark Sanchez.

If Ratliff develops into a diamond in the rough, so be it, but let's face it- at this point,he was expendable to the Jets. The same goes for Abram Elam, who was likely going to see a significant cut in playing time with the Jets as a result of the signing of Jim Leonhard. That leaves Kenyon Coleman. While I'm not sure that Coleman is expendable, I don't think the Jets will be hard-pressed to replace the 53 tackles and .5 sacks.

I won't cry over Ratliff until he gives me reason to do so. And I'll soon forget about Abram Elam with the first hard hit I see Jim Leonhard make, lined up in the secondary alongside Pro Bowler Kerry Rhodes. Go ahead, Eric, take Coleman and the two picks. Have a blast. The bottom line is this- I'll take Mark Sanchez any day.

The Jets possess the 12th pick (76th overall) of the third round, the 15th pick in the fourth (115th), as well as 6th and 7th round picks. Now that they have addressed the need for a QB, the Jets can focus on finding a WR for Sanchez to throw to, as there are a number of second-tier receivers available.

One player the Jets may want to consider is Dominique Edison. A product of Stephen F. Austin, Edison was highly productive last season, recording 67 receptions for 1,016 yards. What stands out most are his 18 touchdown receptions. At 6'2", 204 pounds, Edison ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash, and possesses the size and speed to be a solid compliment to Jerricho Cotchery. Coming from a smaller school, Edison may not receive the same attention as other available prospects, and could wind up being a steal on day two of the draft.